Forget everything you’ve heard about Miami ’s infamous Ocean Drive...
almost. The buzzy strip is the perfect location for this colonial-style, sophisticated sanctuary where you can escape the crowds. Ocean Drive — but don’t get the wrong idea.
If you’re imagining flashing neon lights, bars hoping to lure in tourists with happy hour cocktails and semi-naked rollerbladers whizzing along the boardwalk, well yes, that’s all part of the South Beach experience. But The Betsy, which is at the northern end of the strip, couldn’t be spiritually further away from all that. The hotel’s colonial architecture stands out among a sea of Art Deco .
Really, it’s the ideal location — right on the beach, surrounded by everything Ocean Drive has to offer, but just tucked away enough to offer a sanctuary amid the hustle and bustle of Miami’s place to be seen. It’s just a couple of minutes’ stroll to the beach (the sea is an astonishing 28 degrees when I visit in June), where there’s enough sand for everyone. The crowd is a mixture of locals bobbing in the water, influencers filming themselves dancing and visitors soaking up the scene.
South Beach’s boutiques, eateries and bars are easily walkable — as is the pedestrianised Lincoln Road, home to chains such as beauty emporium Sephora. The charming cobbled streets of Espagnola Way, with its lovely restaurants and cafes, are a five minute walk, too. Let’s put it this way: I’ve only been at The Betsy for an hour wh.